Friendship developed over historical photos

US force's presence in Yunnan in the 1940s forged lasting links with locals

To help promote friendly China-US exchanges, Flying Tigers veterans Harry Moyer and Melvin McMullen began a 10-day trip to China on Oct 28, together with nearly 30 relatives of veterans from the well-known combat team.

Moyer, 103, and McMullen, 98, arrived in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, on Nov 2.

Their first stop was the Kunming City Museum, where they visited the Flying Tigers Memorial Hall. Then they paid a visit to the former site of the United States Air Force General Hospital and the headquarters of the Flying Tigers.

The team's ties to China were forged decades earlier.

In 1941, a group of volunteer US pilots — later known as the Flying Tigers — stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Chinese people to fight invading Japanese troops during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). The group consisted of three fighter squadrons of around 30 aircraft each. Two of the squadrons were based in Kunming.